Bargaining With the Devil
by 1Syphira
Summary: Councilor Tevos goes to Omega to strike a secret bargain with Aria to help Commander Shepard. AriaxTevos one-shot.


**A/N:** So . . . Rae inspired me again. She made me fall in love with the Aria/Tevos pairing, so now I'm writing a one-shot about them. This takes place in ME2 before Shep meets Aria on Omega, but after she talks to the Council and is reinstated as a Spectre. I always felt like Tevos was the only Council member open to Shepard's warnings at all (unlike the turian or salarian bastards!), thus why the scene plays out like it does. This scene is basically an explanation as to why Aria was so willing to help Shepard on their first meeting and asked nothing in return. Also, I'm not following Rae's storyline, in this Aria and Tevos are already together. I couldn't bring myself to write this kind of scene between a non-established couple. A lot of this fic is really about how and why Aria loves Tevos, so it's partially an inner-dialogue drabble (well, sort of) of Aria, as told through sex. Okay, really it's a salute to the amazingness of Rae. XD

FYI: I am NOT in any way trying to match Rae's level of work (because let's face it, who can?), I wrote this as a writing challenge to myself because it's waaaaaay outside my comfort zone. Rae has given me permission to portray their relationship in a similar way to her work, but again, I'm not trying to match her level or copy her work. I just got inspiration from "Match Made in Purgatory." I also am sticking to my rules on asari orgasm that they don't need the meld to do so. I also decided to use the first name "Thea" for Tevos; borrowed from Rae. :D

**Disclaimer:** Too crazy to own it, too lazy to try. So don't sue!

**Warning!** This one-shot contains a sex scene with Aria. You do the math. Magic ejaculating dildos, and apparently anal beads. That just sort of happened. This is on the milder side of humiliation play (I'm not as hardcore as Rae LOL). Aria was feeling generous. XD

**Bargaining With the Devil  
**

Aria lay sprawled on her favorite couch in Afterlife, enjoying the pulsing throb of the music and how it matched the pulsing throb of the toy she was currently wearing. She sometimes got a kick out of masturbating it, if only to humiliate her guards. She was an insatiable exhibitionist with a reputation to keep, after all. It was protruding from her unzipped leather pants and her hand was currently clenched around it, stroking it firmly and slowly. She never tired of this particular invention of hers. Some years back she had paid a group of salarian scientists exorbitant sums of money to invent it, and it had been worth every credit. The sensation-transmitting pad pressed against her clitoris made it possible to feel the entire length of it, and the other convenient feature she had them add was the part that went inside herself, making it possible to wear without a strap. There was just nothing quite like sticking it in someone just begging for it. One beautiful asari Councilor came to mind . . .

As if on cue, her Omni-tool buzzed. She answered it and looked lazily into the holo-display to see the ugly face of one of her batarian guards. "Your consort has arrived," he barked. It was a pretty weak cover for her councilor, but they couldn't go around telling the fucking galaxy about their relationship, now could they? It was a good enough guise to fool her less loyal guards, at least. Grizz certainly knew better, but she actually trusted him. Well, insomuch as a criminal kingpin such as herself could trust anyone under her employment. She snapped her fingers at her two ever-present guards (doing their best to face away from her) to go downstairs, which they hastened to do.

"Send her up," Aria drawled. For all Tevos's dignified superiority that went along with being an asari councilor, she sure seemed to enjoy being fucked in a less-than-dignified way by the biggest criminal in the Terminus System. She bit back the excitement trying to settle in her. She knew full well why her councilor was here in person instead of asking for whatever it was she wanted over a secure channel. Aria was a little annoyed she didn't actually know what her bondmate wanted (other than fucking) because she didn't fully have the upper-hand, but she also knew it was important if Tevos was coming in person to ask for the favor.

When the Councilor came into view, Aria made a point of not looking at her, but she couldn't stop a smirk from spreading across her lips when she heard the embarrassed 'tsk' come from Tevos's lips.

"Charming, Aria," Tevos said, looking pointedly at the dildo clutched in the Queen of Omega's blue hand. Aria ignored the comment and continued stroking the hardened toy.

"Admit it. You're just jealous of my hand right now. I bet you wish it was that tight little azure of yours wrapped around me instead."

Though the music of Afterlife sometimes made it difficult to hear the quieter whimpers and mewls Tevos made, Aria didn't miss the small groan that escaped her lover's lips at the image Aria had just provided. Encouraged by this, Aria continued, "I bet you'd just love to be riding me right now, wouldn't you?"

"Aria, that's not why I'm here . . .," Tevos attempted but Aria quickly put a stop to it.

"Liar. I know you want something from me. And you don't get it until you give me what I want. Now get out of that ridiculous costume or I'll make you leave Afterlife without it."

Tevos's disguise _was_ pretty ridiculous. She was wearing a cloak with the hood drawn to cover her face and a full-length dress that covered every inch of that beautiful blue skin. Sometimes Aria found it thrilling to be having such an unexpected relationship with the asari councilor, but at times it was annoying, sneaking around like a couple of horny maidens. Both of them were centuries old and certainly too old for this kind of ridiculous behavior. But it was convenient having a councilor who owed her favors, so she happily kept their secret. That, and fucking her was insanely amazing. No one could take what Aria had to dish out like Tevos could. She had yet to hear that magic safe word uttered from Tevos's lips, though she'd certainly tried to push the councilor to the breaking point. It was intoxicating. Part of her wanted to hear it someday, to earn it, but a bigger part of her never wanted Tevos to reach her limit. Aria loved being able to push and push and never have to stop. Hell, sometimes Aria wondered if Tevos's limits outmatched her own. She remembered back to one the most intense scenes they'd ever played out where _Aria_ had almost used their safe word because she'd never gone so deep into a scene before, not with _anyone_. Fuck. Tevos was more addicting than red sand. And a hell of a lot more fun.

She focused back in on the asari stripping for her, stroking herself all the while as she enjoyed the show. When Tevos was completely naked, she looked expectantly to Aria for instruction.

"Mmmm, such an obedient little pet," Aria purred, signaling her lover over. "Wouldn't the rest of the Council be proud to see you now? Naked, already wet, and ready to ride the Queen of Omega."

Tevos _was_ wet, too. Aria could already see her fluid glistening on her legs from the light of the nightclub. Apparently she'd been thinking about this since arriving at Omega, or probably before that even. Aria's smirk widened. Tevos obediently crawled onto Aria's lap, trying not to let her eyes linger too long on the hardened toy, but Aria saw the appraising look in her eyes before she could hide it.

"You like that, don't you?" Aria sneered.

Tevos bit her lower lip then nodded once. "Yes, Aria."

"If you want to ride me, you're going to have to lubricate it. Better get busy or I might get impatient. We wouldn't want you walking funny when you go back to the Citadel, would we?"

Tevos obediently pressed her dripping azure against the underside of the shaft and began spreading her fluid over it. Aria took great pleasure in watching Tevos's face flush from enjoyment of the contact and embarrassment of how much she loved this kind of scene.

"That's a good girl," Aria purred after a minute or so. "Now the tip."

She felt how swollen Tevos's arousal was when it rubbed over the tip of the toy and she couldn't stop a low groan from rumbling in her throat. When Tevos pushed her hips down making the tip slide easily inside her, Aria immediately sat up and bit Tevos's neck _hard_. Tevos whimpered and quickly raised her hips off the toy, realizing her mistake.

"I didn't say you could take me inside you yet," Aria snarled, knowing the importance of upholding the scene with Tevos. If she didn't enforce the rules it could be quite a mood killer for her submissive partner. _Demanding bitch_, Aria thought with amusement. "Now lube the top. And take your time."

Tevos obeyed without protestation, to Aria's slight surprise. Then again, the councilor was always more obedient when it had been a couple weeks between sex. After round four or five she would make Aria work for it more. And Aria had every intention of enjoying Tevos's unconditional obedience while it lasted. Tevos continued spreading her fluid over the top of the toy until Aria could see desperation for more beginning to make its way over that beautiful tattooed face.

"You want me inside you?" Aria asked in a low voice. She raked her fingernails along Tevos's thighs, leaving dark purple marks behind, much to her satisfaction.

"Yes, Aria," Tevos replied a little too breathlessly, and Aria was impressed her voice didn't crack. Tevos was obviously as hard up for this as Aria. Two weeks was way too long a time between fucking.

Aria bit down on Tevos's neck again, darkening yet another spot on that perfect skin. "I didn't hear a please in there," she said in a dangerously low tone.

She felt Tevos's entire body shudder. "P-please Aria. Let me ride you. Let me fuck you. Let me feel you come inside me."

That was more than Aria was expecting. Her lips curled up into yet another smirk. She loved how uncontrollably horny Tevos got when denied sex for so long. It almost made her want to deny her more often. Except that would mean denying herself and that just wouldn't do. Somehow, someway, Tevos had _made_ Aria want to be faithful to her, even before they talked about it. After going so deep into each other, sex with other people began to pale in comparison. _Fuck, Aria. Look at you,_ she mentally scolded herself with mildly amused annoyance. _Your fucking little sub still manages to be controlling even though you're the one who's supposed to be controlling. Can't even fuck other people anymore because then you'd feel rotten for hurting your pretty little councilor's feelings._

Aria easily aligned the head of the toy with Tevos's swollen, wet opening and pulled her hips down, watching herself disappear inside Tevos's body in one smooth stroke.

"Fuck . . .!" Tevos shuddered, clutching desperately at Aria's shoulders from the sudden intrusion.

Aria leaned back on her favorite well-used couch, raking her eyes over Tevos's naked body, enjoying the way her bondmate's cheeks turned a soft purple. She felt Tevos clench around her in enjoyment of being thoroughly eye-fucked, a promise of things to come once she was thoroughly and literally fucked.

"What are you waiting for?" Aria demanded. "If you want me to come inside you, you have to work for it."

She of course knew what Tevos was waiting for - permission. Tevos planted her hands on Aria's corseted stomach and started driving her hips down with short, needy thrusts. Her rhythm soon matched the pulsating beat of the music around them - yet another reason Aria loved Afterlife. This was sex music if ever there was any. She let out a low groan of approval when she saw Tevos's eyes begin to blacken with want. When they began their affair all those months ago, they at first didn't meld during sex. But now it was a staple. At first Aria almost hated herself for wanting to meld with that beautiful, complex mind. She hated having feelings for someone. In her line of work it was pretty much a death-knell (literally), but watching her beautiful Councilor rocking over her, so freely taking such an invasive object inside her because it gave Aria pleasure . . . it made it impossible to deny her feelings for Tevos. She allowed herself to feel so little outside of Tevos that it was a strange kind of relief to feel so much for her councilor. She especially loved it when they were fully melded and she could feel all of Tevos's emotion . . . love . . .

"Hit your G-spot," Aria commanded, more to distract herself than anything. "I want you to come around me."

Tevos didn't need a second invitation. She shifted her angle slightly and began grinding down harder and faster. Aria became vaguely aware that her last command would most certainly destroy the leather pants she was currently wearing, but she was too close to finishing to give a damn. She felt Tevos's mind pushing gently against her own, begging to meld, to feel all of her pleasure, to share her own.

"Such a pleasing little pet," Aria murmured, reaching up to run her thumbs over her lover's taut, blue nipples. "But you have to earn the meld."

"Please, Aria . . ." Tevos mewled, tightening her inner walls even more as she ground down. "Whatever you want . . ."

Aria knew why Tevos was so surprisingly subservient, considering she was a _councilor_. Tevos didn't ask Aria to be responsible for anything, just Tevos. Granted, Aria was responsible for a great many cargo containers filled with various questionable and illegal materials, as well as three huge gangs, and Omega, but it wasn't true responsibility. When people died under Aria's employment, she replaced them and didn't lose sleep over it. When people died under the protection of Tevos, the councilor felt every death, remembered it, held it painfully in her heart. Sometimes when they melded, Aria felt echoes of each death. It was at times like those that Aria fucked her bondmate until they were both raw, and it gave Tevos reprieve, if only for a few precious minutes and sometimes hours if they were lucky. It had lessened over their months together as time wore on, but sometimes images of the attack on the Citadel, all the fear and dread and horror of watching so many people die, slipped through the cracks.

Realizing her mind was spinning in uncomfortable places, she focused back in on her body and began forcefully thrusting up into Tevos, no longer content with the slowness of their climb.

"Please Aria!" Tevos panted. "Meld with me!"

They drew closer and closer to finishing with each powerful push of Aria's hips, and still she denied her partner. She knew Tevos sometimes felt even more possessed when they finished without the Meld, and right now, she knew it's what Tevos needed. She slid her right hand between Tevos's thighs and began mercilessly circling her bondmate's azure with her thumb, enjoying the pained look of pleasure that filled her beautiful, tattooed face. She held onto Tevos's thigh with her other hand with bruising force, using it as an anchor to control their almost violent rhythm.

"I-I'm going t-to . . . I - Aria . . .!" Tevos threw her head back and groaned out Aria's name as Aria drove her hips up into her lover, penetrating her deeply and forced an orgasm from her body. Feeling those tight walls fluttering around the shaft made Aria come hard into Tevos's body and she couldn't stop a low groan of approval from escaping her lips. But even as their orgasm began to fade, Aria didn't give Tevos a moment of rest. She pulled out a little too quickly, ignoring the high-pitched moan of complaint and moved Tevos onto her hands and knees with the help of biotics to make the transition faster. She undressed herself, enjoying making Tevos wait perhaps a little too much, then stood behind her lover, glad to at last have skin-to-skin contact. Staying fully clothed was certainly fun sometimes, but for what she had planned, being fully naked would be enjoyable for Tevos anyway. She planted one foot firmly on the floor, and her other knee dipped into the couch cushion. Grabbing Tevo's hips, she pressed the tip of the toy against her still-contracting folds.

"P-please Aria! I n-need you back inside me!" Tevos gasped, squirming against Aria's strong hands.

Aria felt a surge of more liquid enter the toy, hardening even more from hearing her lover beg like that. It was still full, even after coming once and she ached to come inside Tevos again. She leaned over Tevos, pressing her breasts into her lover's back, and intentionally running the head of the toy along Tevos's folds without penetrating. There was one thing they could both agree on when it came to dealing with their problems: fucking was always the answer. And they both had _a lot_ of problems. A fair trade, in Aria's opinion.

She bit down on the blue flesh of Tevos's shoulder with a growl. "You want me to come inside you again?"

"Y-yes!" Tevos replied immediately.

"Only if you say you'll scream loud enough for all of Afterlife to hear."

Though they weren't melded yet, Aria could practically feel Tevos's shame and excitement at the idea. It was Aria's way of promising that what she was about to do was going to be _good_ and she knew Tevos knew exactly what she meant.

"Well?" Aria snapped.

"I . . . I'll scream for you," Tevos faltered just a little, but obviously wanted to feel the reason she was about to scream. Then, "Loud enough for all of Afterlife to hear."

Aria had come prepared for this "meeting." She sat back up and used a biotic lift to bring two items from the end table to her hand. She saw Tevos glance over her shoulder in curiosity (and impatience), then her eyes widened in surprise when she saw what Aria was holding - a string of beads and a bottle of lube. Knowing from experience that it was important to hold the scene, Aria snapped her fingers and pointed to one of the soft pillows on the couch.

"I didn't say you could look. Now put your face in the pillow. And don't make me tell you twice or I won't let you come again."

Experience also taught her that Tevos was still a little shy when it came to all things anal and knew when to comfort her bondmate. She sent out a biotic tendril to lovingly caressing Tevos's cheek until saw her visibly relax into the exposed position. Aria then repositioned the head of the toy against her lover's azure and began massaging it with shallow thrusts, enjoying the small gasps and moans the motion elicited.

"I promise it'll be good," Aria purred, running a liberally lubed thumb over the tight ring of muscles of her other opening. "Let's see if we can't make you scream louder than you ever have before."

Not a small order, all things considered, but Tevos shuddered nonetheless when Aria's thumb pressed gently inside her other opening. The ring of muscles immediately contracted from the intrusion and she saw Tevos's body twitch and tense slightly. Aria continued her shallow thrusts into Tevos with the head of the toy while she waited for her bondmate's body to relax. When she was satisfied with what she saw and felt, she initiated the meld to distract Tevos as the first well-lubed bead slipped inside her body.

Aria couldn't stop another groan from escaping her lips at what she found in Tevos's mind. There was swimming lust, arousal, excitement, a little shame at how much she liked it when Aria used anal beads, and even preemptive gratitude for the pleasure Aria was about to give her. There was still an undercurrent of stress that went with being a councilor, though, and Aria immediately set about stomping it out.

_'Did I say you could think about anything else, you disobedient little slut?'_ she sent through the meld, pushing her consciousness further and further into Tevos's mind.

She didn't give Tevos time to try and respond. She instead slid the toy to the hilt into Tevos with one forceful thrust, as well as another bead.

"Aria. . .!" Tevos groaned aloud, her back arching even more as she accepted the intrusion. Well that successfully took her councilor's mind off things. Aria felt a swell of pride from her success.

_'Oh fuck Thea . . . it's so fucking hot when you say my name like that . . .'_ Aria sent through the meld. It may have been considered a break in the scene, but she could sense Tevos needed a little bit of comforting after being so thoroughly penetrated in both her openings. She leaned forward and gave one of Tevos's crest fronds a gentle suckle, enjoying the breathless mewls the action caused. It wasn't something she did on a regular basis due to the sheer romantic intimacy of the act, but there was something about Tevos's complete obedience that made it difficult to go too deeply into the scene. This time.

Aria didn't give Tevos time to focus on the the beads. She moved her free hand around Tevos's waist and dipped her fingers into her lover's wet folds, working over the sensitive bundle of nerves while starting up a quick pumping motion with her hips.

_'Oh goddess . . .!' _Tevos's thoughts screamed out in Aria's mind, making the toy harden even more. _'Oh fuck me . . . please . . . Aria!'_

Aria slowly pressed another two, then three beads inside her lover, twitching a little herself as she felt the echo of it in her own body. Yet another amazing aspect of the meld (and why she didn't bother denying it 99% of the time). Tevos's pleasure was her pleasure. And if Tevos's thrashing hips was any indication of how intense their orgasm was going to be, feeling her beautiful councilor's pleasure certainly was. When she felt her councilor's stomach muscles tensing, heard her breath hitching, Aria immediately stopped all movement of her hips and hand when the toy was almost completely out of Tevos's body.

Tevos sent a long, frustrated, screaming _'FUCK!'_ through the meld. '_Damn you, Aria T'Loak!'_

_'Did I _say_ you could come?'_ she growled back. She couldn't stop a small smirk from curving her lips. She did derive quite a bit of perverse pleasure in denying Tevos, and although she could feel Tevos's seething annoyance through the meld, she also felt her breathless anticipation of the promised orgasm just out of reach. _'I'm not done with you yet. Now be a good little pet and learn to control yourself for fuck's sake.'_

Tevos let out a muffled growl and buried her face deeper into the pillow. _'Yes, Aria.'_

It was a bit more defiant than Aria would have liked, but she wanted the orgasm just as much as Tevos. It had been two weeks after all, and she was feeling generous. Maybe after round three or four she would make Tevos pay. But for now, she just couldn't wait to come inside that beautiful blue body. She started up her rhythm again, both with her hips and hand, circling Tevos's azure over and over until she could practically feel the sob welling up inside her bondmate. She pressed the final bead inside her lover, then at last granted her the release they both so desperately needed. Aria sent over a single, forceful command.

_'COME.'_

When it hit, they both threw their heads back and screamed each other's names. Aria sent a tendril of vibrating biotics to Tevos's azure as she continued pounding almost violently into her. Fluid spilled from the tip with each powerful thrust, and she found she couldn't tear her eyes away from the sight. Aria slowly pulled the beads from her lover and both of them screamed all the louder when they felt it being withdrawn. Tevos clenched wildly around both toys, and the sensation drove Aria wild with lust and pleasure mixed with a strangely out-of-place tenderness. She cherished those velvety inner walls, especially in moments like these when she was pounding so wildly into Tevos, emptying so much of her arousal into her lover's body. When the strand of beads was at last out of her lover's body, Aria collapsed onto Tevos's back, both of them a mess of raw, almost painful over-stimulation.

And the most beautiful part about it all was knowing Tevos preferred it this way. When Aria realized she loved Tevos, she knew she would do whatever Tevos wanted. At first, their affair had been about one thing - Aria getting thoroughly fucked by a beautiful, insatiable, submissive asari. But when it turned into something more, when she began seeing _why_ Tevos surrendered herself to Aria, when she began realizing Tevos _needed_ her . . . Somewhere along the line, to her horror, she realized she'd be willing to give up their power-play sex games if it was what Tevos wanted. It pretty much went against everything that made Aria who she was, but she knew she'd be willing. But Tevos loved Aria for who she was, needed it, in fact. She knew Tevos would never ask her to stop and that was just so . . . .

"I love fucking you," Aria smirked, affectionately biting Tevo's shoulder. It was the closest thing to a confession of love she felt like giving at the moment.

"Aria . . ." Tevos mumbled into the pillow, shifting uncomfortably. Aria felt her bondmate's discomfort through the lingering meld and pushed herself up, carefully pulling the toy out of her lover's body and allowing her to turn over.

"A-Aria I n-need . . ." Tevos began but Aria reassured her with a soft kiss.

"I know," she said, gently withdrawing from the meld as well.

She had prepared well for Tevos's visit. Using yet another biotic lift, she summoned the third and final item from the end table - a warm wet washcloth resting in a bowl of hot water. She rang it out over the bowl with skilled biotics, then brought it to rest between Tevos's thighs. She pulled the toy from her own body and tossed it on the floor to be cleaned later. She then settled over her bondmate who immediately nuzzled into her neck and wrapped her arms tightly around Aria. A soft smile tugged at the corners of Aria's lips. She loved how needy and vulnerable Tevos could get sometimes after a particularly intense scene. And although this wasn't by any stretch as intense as they could get, it had been a couple weeks since seeing each other. Aria was saving that for later when Tevos was in a less obedient mood, when her limits could be more safely stretched.

Aria mentally shook her head in amused exasperation. For as forceful and sometimes violent as she could be with Tevos, she was also sickeningly aware and gentle with her submissive partner. True, she had yet to hear that safe word from Tevos, but she'd also never tried in a circumstance that didn't have a lot of preparation or "lubrication" so to speak. Besides, it wouldn't be a true victory if she broke Tevos while she was vulnerable and unprepared. She wanted to do it when Tevos was at the height of her defiance. It was that very trust, that infuriatingly endearing trust that Tevos had in Aria that had made Aria fall so in love with her. Trust, in her line of work, wasn't a commodity. It wasn't even rarity. It simply didn't exist. People didn't just go around trusting Aria T'Loak. And yet, for some crazy reason, Tevos trusted Aria implicitly. And even more crazily, Aria trusted Tevos.

"So why the hell _are_ you here?" Aria asked, adjusting to look at her bondmate.

"Oh, _now_ you want to know?" Tevos shot back, that familiar, sexy defiance creeping back into her voice.

"I didn't hear you complaining earlier when I shut you up," Aria retorted with a smirk.

Tevos pursed her lips. "I knew there was a reason I hated asking you for favors. Because you have to be such a damn bitch about it."

"And yet here you are, well-fucked and begging for favors."

Tevos heaved a sigh, and Aria could already tell their playful banter was (temporarily) at an end. Sometimes it was aggravating how easily Tevos slipped back into herself: the Councilor. Aria worked so diligently to help Tevos forget herself, but the damn galaxy was always determined to press back in on her bondmate. It kind of made her want to give the universe the finger sometimes.

"I need you to help Commander Shepard when she comes here," Tevos said bluntly.

Aria blinked. "Why the hell would I do that?"

"She's currently building a team to destroy something called 'Collectors' and I managed to get my hands on a copy of her dossier. Two of the agents she's looking to recruit are on Omega. I need you to help her find them."

"I've heard of the Collectors . . . never dealt with them. It's bad business doing anything with a business partner you know nothing about. Why are you so interested in helping her?" Aria asked.

Tevos bit her lower lip, and Aria saw a flash of guilt. "I made the mistake of not believing Shepard once before and a lot of people suffered and died because of it. The rest of the Council might not believe her about the Reapers and the Collectors, but at least part of me does. I want to help her in any way I can, and this is the only way I know how. My hands are tied in a fucking political mess right now. It wouldn't be so damn bad if she hadn't joined up with Cerberus. But no. The Great Commander Shepard just had to go and make my job a living nightmare of political backlash."

Aria ran her fingers along Tevos's neck, using her thumb to tilt her chin for easier access to her ear. "And what do I get out of this if I help her?" Aria demanded. "And don't even think about bargaining with your body. It belongs to me. I don't bargain for what is already mine."

She felt Tevos shudder ever so slightly from the statement of ownership. It was yet another thing Tevos demanded from Aria. Complete ownership. _Demanding bitch_, Aria thought again with continued amusement, though she didn't let it show.

"I know the names of two Shadow Broker agents on Omega," Tevos replied.

Well that got Aria's attention. "Helping Shepard is worth two Broker agent names? Are you fucking insane?"

"She can't know I helped her, no one can. I don't care what bullshit you make up to keep her from knowing. The price of the second name is keeping the two people she's recruiting alive long enough for Shepard to find them."

It still felt a little unbalanced, like a bad bargain for Tevos. Keeping two people alive would be easy. But Aria decided to drop it. She knew how dangerous a position Tevos was in politically for helping Shepard, thus why she'd come with such an enticing bargaining chip. After a moment or two more of deliberating with herself, she said, "You have a deal, Councilor Tevos."

She felt more than heard a sigh of relief escape Tevos's lips. Sometimes it just made Aria's fucking heart hurt, knowing how much weight her lover carried around and how much she worried over _everything_.

"Now that all that boring shit is out of the way," Aria drawled, "I got you something pretty." She pulled a pair of newly-bought handcuffs, a leash, and a collar from beneath the couch cushion. Yet another thing she'd prepared for. "Now put on your new collar like a good little pet."


End file.
